Korean Chamber Orchestra

Jindo Arirang by the Korean composer Jisoo Lee is a version of the popular folk song Arirang, which in Korea is considered a sort of unofficial national anthem. Malédiction, a work encompassing many moods, is an early composition by Franz Liszt, who was an ardent admirer of the »diabolical« virtuosic playing of Niccolò Paganini. Many composers dedicated music to the celebrated violinists of their day, including Max Bruch, who wrote his Adagio appassionato for Joseph Joachim, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who dedicated his Valse-Scherzo to Josif Kotek. Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade consists of contrasting movements that combine melancholy, high spirits, lyrical beauty and exuberance. All these works will be performed by the Korean Chamber Orchestra, the oldest ensemble of its kind in South Korea, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary. Since 1979, when Seoul-and Hamburg-trained violinist, teacher and conductor Kim Min became its music director, the orchestra has gained international prestige with numerous tours throughout the world. Following a performance at the UNESCO Concert for Peace in Paris in 1999 and another at the UN in New York in 2000, the Korean Chamber Orchestra was appointed an official UN Chamber Orchestra for Peace. The violin soloist will be Esther Yoo, an American violinist of Korean heritage who trained in Belgium and Germany and has worked with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Gustavo Dudamel and Vasily Petrenko. Also appearing will be the Korean pianist Kim Ilia, whose musical journey has taken her from studies in Berlin, Salzburg, Hanover and Imola to regular concerts in Asia, Europe and America.